System and method of adjusting the location and position of the foresail on a sailboat

ABSTRACT

A sailboat, which includes at least one hull; a mast; a plurality of sails, wherein at least one of the plurality of sails is a foresail; and a system for sailing windward, which includes a foresail beam attached to the mast of the sailboat at a mast end of the foresail beam and receives a leading edge of the foresail at a bow end of the foresail beam; and a foresail track, which extends from a starboard side to a port side of the sailboat and assists the foresail beam in movement from side to side.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/788,785, filed on Apr. 19, 2007, which claims priority toU.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/900,549 filed on Feb. 8,2007, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/920,957 filedon Mar. 30, 2007, the contents, which are incorporated herein in theirentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to a system and method of reducingleeway drift of a sailboat as the sailboat reaches an upwind objectiveby adjusting the location and position of the foresail (i.e., headsail,jib, genoa, or spinnaker) and/or adjusting the depth of the keel and/orkeel foil, and more particularly to a system and method of adjusting thelocation and position of the foresail (headsail, jib, genoa, orspinnaker) on a sailboat by moving the location or position of theforesail and the forestay relative to the bow of the sailboat and/or byadjusting the depth of the keel and/or keel foil.

BACKGROUND

Typically, a sailboat includes a hull that sits in the water, a mastextending upwardly from the hull, sails supported by the mast, andeither a centerboard or fixed keel extending downwardly from the hullinto the water. The sails catch the wind and cause the hull to moveforwardly through the water. Although, a sailboat cannot sail directlyinto the wind, a sailboat can sail in a generally windward direction. Itcan be appreciated that with skill and a combination of maneuvers, asailor can maneuver a sailboat in almost any desired direction.

Because of the design of the sails, a sailboat can sail to windward,which is typically in a direction no less than about 15 to 25 degreesfrom the wind, depending upon the design of the boat and the skill ofthe sailor. Headway directly upwind or windward is typically achieved ina series of sequential maneuvers called tacks, in which the boat isfirst sailed windward with the wind over one side of the bow, and thenturned through the wind so that the wind comes over the other side ofthe bow. In each tack, some headway upwind is achieved even though theboat does not move directly into the wind, and eventually the sailboatreaches an upwind objective after sailing a zig-zag course covering adistance greater than the straight line distance from the initialposition to the upwind objective.

When a sailboat sails to windward, the forces on the sails can beresolved into a thrust component that moves the sailboat forwardlythrough the water and a drift component that pushes the sailboatsideways in a downwind direction. The sailboat therefore moves in a netdirection that is forward, but also is slight downwind opposite to thenet intended direction of movement. The sideways drift is called leewayor “slide slipping.”

The downwardly projecting centerboard or keel of the sailboat offersresistance to the leeway produced by the sideways sail force, but atleast some leeway remains. This leeway is being constantly accumulated,as there is a downwind movement as long as the sailboat is being sailedinto the wind. The leeway significantly increases the time required forthe sailboat to sail from its downwind starting position to the upwindobjective, as it forces the sailboat to sail much further to make up forthe accumulated sideways movement.

Attempts have been made to reduce the amount of leeway. For example, amovable centerboard or fixed keel extending into the water below thesailboat presents a broad surface to resist sideways drift. There havealso been attempts to modify the shape of the centerboard or keel toprovide a lifting force to counteract the sideways drift. These attemptshave been based upon the observation that the centerboard or keel movingthrough the water is somewhat similar to the wing of an airplane thatcreates a lift as the wing is moved through the air. The lift of anairplane wing causes the airplane to move upward against the force ofgravity, and the corresponding lift of a sailboat centerboard or keelthat extends downwardly can cause the sailboat to be lifted in theupwind direction, thereby countering the sideways drift producing theleeway.

Fixed keels are typically used in larger sailboats. The keels areusually filled with lead or other dense material to act as ballast forthe sailboat. For example, the keels of 12-meter sailboats may extend 10feet below the surface of the water, and weigh 40,000 to 50,000 pounds.

It would be desirable to have a system or method of adjusting orchanging the relative position of the fixed connection of the foresail,such that the angle of attack in the windward direction is slightlyaltered in the direction of the wind. Accordingly, it would be desirableto have a system and/or method of changing the angle or direction of theboat in a windward direction and/or use of an extendable keel, which iscapable of providing a lifting force to counteract leeway, and issufficiently reliable to be acceptable for general and racing use.

In addition, it would be desirable to have a retractable solar panelsystem, which can provide a source of energy to the sailboat. The solarpanel system can be attached to a nautical stay, wherein the stay isfixed at one end to a hull of the sailboat and at a second end to a mastof the sailboat. The solar panel system includes a plurality of solarpanels, which are attached to a system for extending and retracting theplurality of solar panels, such that when not in use, the solar panelscan be stacked.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one embodiment, a system for sailing windwardcomprises: a moveable track fixture; a fixed track configured to receivethe track fixture; and a control system for securing the location of thetrack fixture within the fixed track relative to a bow of a sailboat.

In accordance with a further embodiment, a sailboat comprises: a hull; amast; a plurality of sails, wherein at least one of the plurality ofsails is a foresail; and a system for sailing windward comprising: amoveable track fixture; a fixed track configured to receive the trackfixture; a control system for securing the location of the track fixturewithin the fixed track relative to a bow of a sailboat; and a forestayattached to the track fixture, the forestay extending from an upperportion of a mast of a sailboat to the moveable track fixture on a bowof the sailboat.

In accordance with another embodiment, a method of reducing leeway driftof a sailboat as the sailboat reaches an upwind objective, the methodcomprises changing the relative position of a foresail to a bow of thesailboat without changing the relative position of a mainsail and theforesail to one another.

In accordance with a further embodiment, a sailboat comprises: at leastone hull; a mast; a plurality of sails, wherein at least one of theplurality of sails is a foresail; and a system for sailing windwardcomprising: a foresail beam attached to the mast of the sailboat at amast end of the foresail beam and receives a leading edge of theforesail at a bow end of the foresail beam; and a foresail track, whichextends from a starboard side to a port side of the sailboat and assiststhe foresail beam in movement from side to side.

In accordance with another embodiment, a sailboat comprises: two or morehulls; a plurality of sails, wherein at least one of the plurality ofsails is a foresail; and a system for sailing windward, which includes aforesail track, which receives a leading edge of the foresail andextends from one of the two or more hulls to another of the two or morehulls.

In accordance with a further embodiment, a sailboat comprises: two ormore hull; a plurality of sails, and wherein the plurality of sailsincludes one or more foresails; and a system for sailing windward, whichincludes two or more foresail tracks, each of the two or more foresailtracks is configured to receive a leading edge of a foresail, andwherein each of the foresail tracks extend from one of the two or morehulls to another of the two or more hulls.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sailboat with a system and method ofadjusting the location and position of the foresail in accordance withone embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the sailboat of FIG. 1 with a system and methodof adjusting the location and position of the foresail.

FIG. 3A is a schematic view of a sailboat in accordance with oneembodiment with a system and method of adjusting the location andposition of the foresail in comparison with a sailboat without a systemand method of adjusting the location and position of the headsail, jib,genoa, or spinnaker.

FIG. 3B is a schematic view of a sailboat without a system and method ofadjusting the location and position of the foresail.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the track system on asailboat with a system and method of adjusting the location and positionof the foresail.

FIG. 5 is a top view of a sailboat with a system and method of adjustingthe location and position of the foresail in accordance with anotherembodiment.

FIG. 6 is a top view of a multi-hulled boat with a system and method ofadjusting the location and position of the foresail in accordance with afurther embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a top view of a multi-hulled boat with a system and method ofadjusting the location and position of the foresail in accordance withanother embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a top view of a multi-hulled boat having one or more tracksystems for adjusting the location and position of the foresail inaccordance with a further embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As described above, because of the design of the sails, a sailboat (orboat) 10 can sail to windward, in a direction no less than about 15 to25 degrees from the wind, depending upon the design of the boat and theskill of the sailor. Headway directly upwind is achieved in a series ofsequential maneuvers called tacks, in which the boat is first sailedwindward with the wind over one side of the bow, and then turned throughthe wind so that the wind comes over the other side of the bow. In eachtack, some headway upwind is achieved even though the boat does not movedirectly into the wind, and eventually the sailboat reaches an upwindobjective after sailing a zig-zag course covering a distance greaterthan the straight line distance from the initial position to the upwindobjective.

In addition, when a sailboat 10 sails to windward, the forces on thesails can be resolved into a thrust component that moves the sailboatforwardly through the water and a drift component that pushes thesailboat sideways in a downwind direction. The sailboat 10 thereforemoves in a net direction that is forward, but also is slight downwindopposite to the net intended direction of movement. The sideways driftis called leeway.

The downwardly projecting centerboard or keel of the boat offersresistance to the leeway produced by the sideways sail force, but atleast some leeway remains. This leeway is being constantly accumulated,as there is a downwind movement as long as the sailboat is being sailedinto the wind. It can be appreciated that the leeway can significantlyincrease the time required for the sailboat to sail from its downwindstarting position to the upwind objective, as it forces the sailboat tosail much further to make up for the accumulated sideways movement.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a sailboat 10 with a system andmethod of adjusting the location and of at least one of the sails 40 ofthe sailboat 10, and more particularly a system and method of adjustingthe foresail 40 (or headsail, jib genoa, or spinnaker) in accordancewith one embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a sailboat 10 typicallyincludes a hull 20 that sits in the water, a mast 50 extending upwardlyfrom the hull 20, and at least one sail in the form of a mainsail 30supported by the mast 50 and a boom 60, and an optional centerboard orkeel 70 (FIG. 6)) extending downwardly from the hull 20 into the water.Typically, most sailboats 10 also include a second sail 40 in the formof a foresail, jib, genoa, or spinnaker The sails 30, 40 catch the windand cause the hull 20 to move forwardly through the water. It can beappreciated that the sailboat can also include a mainstay 52, whichpreferably extends from an upper portion of the mast 50 to the bow 42 ofthe sailboat 10.

It can be appreciated that the use of the term “sailboat” 10 has a broadmeaning and can include yachts, (large sailboats) and smaller vessels ofmany configurations, which use wind as the primary means of propulsion.Typically, some of the variations other than size are hull configuration(monohull, catamaran, and trimaran), keel type (full, fin, wing,centerboard etc.), purpose (sport, racing, cruising), number andconfiguration of masts, and the sail plan. The most common sailboat 10is the “sloop” which features one mast 50 and two sails, a mainsail 30and a foresail 40 or jib, genoa, or spinnaker. This simple configurationhas been proven over time to be very efficient for sailing into thewind. The mainsail 30 is attached to the mast 50 and the boom 60, whichis a beam or spar capable of swinging across the sailboat 10, dependingon the direction of the wind. Depending on the size and design of theforesail 40, the foresail 40 is called a jib, genoa, or spinnaker.Although not common, a sloop or sailboat 10 can include two foresailsfrom a single forestay 48 at one time (wing on wing). The forestay 48 isa line or cable running from near the top of the mast 50 to a point nearthe bow 42 (or front of the sailboat 10). It can be appreciated that theforestay 48 is attached at either the top of the mast, or in fractionalrigs between about ¼ and ⅛ from the top of the mast 50. The other end ofthe forestay 48 is attached to the stern or bow 42 of the boat 10. Theforestay 48 can be made from stainless steel wire, a solid stainlesssteel rod, a carbon rod, a galvanized wire or natural fibers.

As shown in FIG. 1, the mainsail 30 is attached to the mast 50 and theboom 60. The boom 60 is typically a metal or wooden beam or spar, whichis configured to stabilize the bottom of the mainsail 30. The boom 60 isattached to the mast 50 at a lower end 32 of the mast 50 and extendstowards the stern 43 (or back of the sailboat 10). An outhaul or line34, which is part of the running rigging of a sailboat 10, is used toextend the mainsail 30, and control the shape of the curve of the footof the mainsail 30. The outhaul 34 runs from the clew (the back cornerof the sail 30) to the end of the boom. The line is pulled taut to theappropriate tension (to provide the desired shape to the foot), and thensecured to a cleat on the boom 60. The mainsail 30 is also attached tothe top 36 of the mast 50. The mainsail 30 extends aftward and issecured the whole length of its edges to the mast 50 and to the boom 60hung from the mast 50.

The foresail 40, which is also known as a headsail, jib, genoa, orspinnaker is secured to the top 46 of the mast 50 and is typicallysecured to the bow 42 of the sailboat 10. Typically, the foresail 40 issecured along its leading edge to a forestay 48 (strong wire) strungfrom the top 46 of the mast to the bowsprit 42 on the bow (nose) of theboat. Alternatively, the foresail 40 can be a genoa, which is a type ofjib that is larger, and cut so that it is fuller than an ordinary jib.It can also be appreciated that fore-and-aft sails can be switched fromone side of the sailboat 10 to the other, in order to alter thesailboat's course. When the sailboat's stern crosses the wind, this iscalled jibing; when the bow crosses the wind, it is called tacking.Tacking repeatedly from port to starboard and/or vice versa, called“beating”, is done in order to allow the boat to follow a course intothe wind.

It can be appreciated that a primary feature of a properly designed sailis an amount of “draft”, caused by curvature of the surface of the sail.When the sail is oriented into the wind, this curvature induces lift,much like the wing of an airplane. Modern sails are manufactured with acombination of broadseaming and non-stretch fabric. The former addsdraft, while the latter allows the sail to keep a constant shape as thewind pressure increases. The draft of the sail can be reduced instronger winds by use of a Cunningham and outhaul, and also byincreasing the downward pressure of the boom by use of a boom yang. Aboom yang is a line or piston system on a sailboat used to exertdownward force on the boom and thus control the shape of the sail. InBritish English, it is known as a “kicking strap”. The yang typicallyruns from the base of the mast 50 to a point about a third of the wayout the boom 60. Due to the great force necessary to change the heightof the boom 60 while a boat is under sail, a line based boom yangusually includes some sort of a pulley system. Hydraulic piston vangsare used on larger sailboats and controlled by manual or electrichydraulic pumps.

FIG. 2 shows a top view of the sailboat 10 of FIG. 1 with a system andmethod of adjusting the location and position of the foresail 40. Asdescribed above, the foresail 40 is typically attached to the bow 42 ofthe sailboat 10 via the forestay 48. In accordance with one embodiment,as shown in FIG. 2, the foresail 40 can be attached to a track system100. The track system 100 is attached to the bow 42 of the boat 10 andis configured to change the location or position of the foresail 40 andthe forestay 48 relative to the hull 20 of the boat 10 during a tackingmaneuver.

It can be appreciated that tacking typically describes the position of asailboat's bow with respect to the wind. For example, if the vessel'sbow is positioned so that the wind is blowing across the starboard(right) side of the vessel, then the vessel is said to be on a starboardtack. If the wind is blowing across the port (left) side of the vessel,then the vessel is said to be on a port tack. It can be appreciated thatby definition, this is opposite to the side, which the boom is carried,since it can be difficult when a boat is sailing downwind or nearlydownwind from which side the wind is coming. In addition, a sailingvessel on a starboard tack always has the right-of-way over anothersailing vessel on “port tack” by both the rules of the road and racingrules.

The track system 100 preferably includes a moveable track fixture 110,upon which the forestay 48 is securely fixed or attached, a fixed track120 configured to receive the track fixture 110, and a control system130 for securing the location of the track fixture 110 within the track120 relative to the bow 42 of the boat 10. In accordance with oneembodiment, the control system 130 for securing the location of thetrack fixture 110 can include a winch 140, a flexible wire or rod 150attached to the track fixture 110, and a guide system 160. The winch 140is preferably a mechanical device that is used to wind up the flexiblewire or rod 150 (also called “cable”). In its simplest form, it consistsof a spool and attached crank. The spool can also be called the winchdrum. It can be appreciated that the winch 140 can include suitable gearassemblies and can be powered by electric, hydraulic, pneumatic orinternal combustion drives. In addition, the winch 150 can include asolenoid brake and/or a mechanical brake or ratchet (not shown) thatprevents the winch 150 from unwinding.

FIG. 3A shows a schematic view of a sailboat 10 in accordance with oneembodiment with a system and method of adjusting the location andposition of the foresail 40 in comparison with a sailboat 10 without asystem and method of adjusting the location and position of the foresail40. As shown in FIG. 3A, the control system 130 is configured to adjustor change the relative location of the foresail 40 to the bow 42 of theboat 10 during tacking maneuvers, such that the bow 42 of the boat 10can sail into the wind more than if the foresail 40 and forestay 48 isfixed to the bow of the boat 10.

FIG. 3B shows a schematic view of a sailboat without a system and methodof adjusting the location and position of the foresail. As shown in FIG.3B, a typical sailboat 10 performs a tacking maneuver by sailing at anangle into the wind. However, as shown in FIG. 3A, if the relativeposition of the foresail 40 to the bow 42 of the boat 10 is changed oraltered without change the relative position of the mainsail 30 andforesail 40 to one another, the bow 42 of the boat 10 can sail more intothe wind resulting in a shorter distance or path of travel for thesailboat during tacking.

FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of the track system 100on a sailboat with a system and method of adjusting the location andposition of the foresail 40 in accordance with one embodiment. The tracksystem 100 preferably includes a track fixture 110, and a fixed track120. The foresail 40 (not shown) is attached to the forestay 48, whichis secured to the track fixture 110 at an upper end 112. As shown inFIG. 4, the track fixture 110 can include an upper end 112, a main body114, an upper wheel 116, and a pair of lower wheels 118. The fixed track120 can include an upper groove 122 configured to receive the upperwheel 116 and a pair of lower grooves 124 configured to receive the pairof lower wheels 118. The track fixture 110 moves from side to side(starboard to port) on the fixed track 120 resulting in the relativeposition of the forestay 48 (and the foresail 40) to the bow 42 of theboat 10 facing in a more windward direction during tacking maneuvers.

FIG. 5 shows a top view of a sailboat 10 with a system and method ofadjusting the location and position of the foresail 40 in accordancewith another embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, a beam or spar system 200comprised of a foresail track system 210, a foresail beam 220, and apivot member 230. The foresail beam 220 is attached to the pivot member230 (or mast 50) at one end (mast end) 222 and the other end (bow end)224 of the foresail beam 220 moves from side to side (starboard toport). The foresail beam 220 is preferably attached to an optionalforesail track system 210, which assists the foresail beam 220 inmovement from side to side. The forestay 48 (not shown) is preferablysecurely fixed or attached to the bow end 224 of the foresail beam 220.In addition, a series of lines 226 can be used to control the bow end224 of the foresail beam 220.

It can be appreciated that the system as shown in FIG. 5, the beam orspar system 200 can also include a control system 130 (not shown)comprised of a winch 140, a flexible wire or rod 150 attached to thetrack fixture 110, and a guide system 160. As described above, the winch140 is preferably a mechanical device that is used to wind a wire rod orwire rope (also called “cable”). In its simplest form, it consists of aspool and attached crank. In addition, it can be appreciated that thewinch 150 can also include gear assemblies and can be powered byelectric, hydraulic, pneumatic or internal combustion drives. The winch150 can also include a solenoid brake and/or a mechanical brake orratchet, which prevents the winch 150 from unwinding.

FIG. 6 is a top view of a multi-hulled boat 300 with a system and methodof adjusting the location and position of the foresail in accordancewith a further embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the multi-hulled boat 300consists of two or more hulls 310, joined by a structure 320, the mostbasic being a frame, or other suitable structure, which spans from onehull 310 to the other hull 310. It can be appreciated that themulti-hulled sailboat 300 can be sail and/or engine-powered. Inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment, the two or more hulls 310 canhave two differently shaped or sized hulls with lateral symmetry, oralternatively, two or more hulls with longitudinal symmetry. Forexample, a trimaran has a main hull 310 in the center and symmetricstabilizing hulls 310 on either side. The boat 300 also includes one ormore rudders 302 to guide the boat 300.

It can be appreciated that a multi-hulled sailboat can have severaladvantages compared to a single-hull boat. For example, by increasingthe distance between the center of gravity and the center of buoyancyprovides higher stability compared to boats with a single hull, whichallows multi-hulls to have narrower hulls and thus substantially lesswave-forming resistance, which in turn results in greater speed withoutapplying more effort. In the case of boats under sail, stability servesto hold the vessel upright against the sideways force of the wind on thesails. This stability is provided in multi-hulls by the weight of theboat itself, in contrast to mono-hull sailboat, which typically uses anunderwater counterweight, a ballasted keel for this purpose, especiallyon larger sailboats. Multi-hull sailboats are typically much wider thanthe equivalent mono-hull, which allows them to carry no ballast, and thereduced weight also makes them faster than mono-hulls under equivalentconditions. It can also be appreciated that multi-hulls typically willnot sink or be abandoned if flooded, as opposed to ballasted mono-hullswho do indeed sink when flooded. In addition, the comfort of moreonboard accommodation space and more level boats under sail offersubstantially improved conditions for crew and passengers, whichcontributes to the greatly increasing popularity of multi-hull sailboatsduring the past few decades.

As shown in FIG. 6, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment, themulti-hulled boat 300 includes a mast 330 and a track system 340. Asdescribed above, a leading edge of the foresail 40 is attached to thetrack system 330, which extends from one hull 310 to another hull 310.The track system 340 preferably has an arc shape thereto, which mirrorsthe movement of a leading edge of the foresail 40 during tackingmaneuvers, such that the distance 342 from the mast 330 to the tracksystem 340 remains constant at all times. In accordance with oneembodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the foresail 40 (FIG. 2) can be attachedto the track system 340. The track system 340 is attached to each of thehulls 310 of the boat 300 and is configured to change the location orposition of the foresail 40 relative to the hulls 310 of the boat 300during a tacking maneuver. It can be appreciated that tacking typicallydescribes the position of a sailboat's bow with respect to the wind. Forexample, if the vessel's bow is positioned so that the wind is blowingacross the starboard (right) side of the vessel, then the vessel is saidto be on a starboard tack. If the wind is blowing across the port (left)side of the vessel, then the vessel is said to be on a port tack. It canbe appreciated that by definition, this is opposite to the side, whichthe boom is carried, since it can be difficult when a boat is sailingdownwind or nearly downwind from which side the wind is coming. Inaddition, a sailing vessel on a starboard tack always has theright-of-way over another sailing vessel on “port tack” by both therules of the road and racing rules.

The track system 340 preferably includes a moveable track fixture 110 asshown in FIG. 2, upon which the forestay 48 is securely fixed orattached, a fixed track 120 configured to receive the track fixture 110,and a control system 130 for securing the location of the track fixture110 within the track 120 relative to the bow 42 of the boat 10. Inaccordance with one embodiment, the control system 130 for securing thelocation of the track fixture 110 can include a winch 140, a flexiblewire or rod 150 attached to the track fixture 110, and a guide system160. The winch 140 is preferably a mechanical device that is used towind up the flexible wire or rod 150 (also called “cable”). In itssimplest form, it consists of a spool and attached crank. The spool canalso be called the winch drum. It can be appreciated that the winch 140can include suitable gear assemblies and can be powered by electric,hydraulic, pneumatic or internal combustion drives. In addition, thewinch 150 can include a solenoid brake and/or a mechanical brake orratchet (not shown) that prevents the winch 150 from unwinding.

FIG. 7 shows a top view of a multi-hull boat 300 with a system andmethod of adjusting the location and position of the foresail 40 inaccordance with another embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, a beam or sparsystem 350 comprised of a foresail track system 340, a foresail beam352, and a pivot member 354. The foresail beam 352 is attached to thepivot member 354 (or mast 330) at one end (mast end) 356 and the otherend (bow end) 358 of the foresail beam 352 moves from side to side(starboard to port). The foresail beam 352 is preferably attached to alower portion of the mast 330 and extends approximately horizontal to adeck 304 of the boat 300. The foresail (not shown) includes a leadingedge (or clew or free end), which is attached to the bow end 358 of theforesail beam 352, a trailing edge, and a top edge (or head), which isgenerally attached to an upper portion of the mast 330.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, the foresail beam 352is preferably attached to an optional foresail track system 340, whichassists the foresail beam 352 in movement from side to side. Theforestay 48 (not shown) is preferably securely fixed or attached to thebow end 358 of the foresail beam 352. It can be appreciated that thesystem as shown in FIG. 7, the beam or spar system 350 can also includea control system 130 as shown in FIG. 2 comprised of a winch 140, aflexible wire or rod 150 attached to the track fixture 110, and a guidesystem 160. As described above, the winch 140 is preferably a mechanicaldevice that is used to wind a wire rod or wire rope (also called“cable”). In its simplest form, it consists of a spool and attachedcrank. In addition, it can be appreciated that the winch 150 can alsoinclude gear assemblies and can be powered by electric, hydraulic,pneumatic or internal combustion drives. The winch 150 can also includea solenoid brake and/or a mechanical brake or ratchet, which preventsthe winch 150 from unwinding.

FIG. 8 is a top view of a multi-hulled boat 300 having one or more tracksystems 340 for adjusting the location and position of the foresail inaccordance with a further embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the sailboat300 includes a plurality (i.e., two or more) track system 340, each ofthe track systems 340 configured to receive a foresail 40 (not shown).Each of the track systems 340 extends from one hull 310 to another hull310. The track system 340 preferably has an arc shape thereto, whichmirrors the movement of a leading edge of the foresail 40 during tackingmaneuvers, such that the distance 342 from the mast 330 to each of thetrack systems 340 remains constant at all times. The track systems 340are attached to each of the hulls 310 of the boat 300 and are configuredto change the location or position of the foresail 40 relative to thehulls 310 of the boat 300 during a tacking maneuver. In accordance withan exemplary embodiment, each of the track systems 340 can also includea beam or spar system 350 as shown in FIG. 7. If one or more beam orspar systems 350 (FIG. 7) are used, each of the foresail beams 352 arepreferably at a different height relative to the deck 320 and/or mast330 so that the foresail beams 352 can move freely. It can beappreciated that if the sailboat 300 has more than one foresail 40,depending on the conditions, one or more of the foresails 40 can be usedat any time, such as during tacking maneuvers.

It will be understood that the foregoing description is of the preferredembodiments, and is, therefore, merely representative of the article andmethods of manufacturing the same. It can be appreciated that manyvariations and modifications of the different embodiments in light ofthe above teachings will be readily apparent to those skilled in theart. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments, as well as alternativeembodiments, may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe articles and methods as set forth in the attached claims.

1. A sailboat comprising: at least one hull; a mast; a plurality ofsails, wherein at least one of the plurality of sails is a foresail; anda system for sailing windward comprising: a foresail beam attached tothe mast of the sailboat at a mast end of the foresail beam and receivesa leading edge of the foresail at a bow end of the foresail beam; and aforesail track, which extends from a starboard side to a port side ofthe sailboat and assists the foresail beam in movement from side toside.
 2. The sailboat of claim 1, further comprising a control systemfor securing the location of the foresail beam within the foresail tracksystem relative to a bow of the sailboat.
 3. The sailboat of claim 1,further comprising a series of lines, which control the bow end of theforesail beam.
 4. The sailboat of claim 1, wherein the foresail tracksystem mirrors a movement of the bow end of the foresail beam's movementfrom starboard side to port side.
 5. The sailboat of claim 1, furthercomprising a pivot member, which attaches the foresail beam to the mast.6. The sailboat of claim 1, wherein the foresail beam is attached to alower portion of the mast.
 7. The sailboat of claim 2, wherein thecontrol system comprises a winch, a flexible wire attached to themoveably track fixture, and a guide system.
 8. The sailboat of claim 7,wherein the winch comprises a spool, which is attached to a crank. 9.The sailboat of claim 8, wherein the winch further includes a brake orratchet that prevents the winch from unwinding.
 10. The sailboat ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one hull comprises two or more hulls. 11.A sailboat comprising: two or more hulls; a plurality of sails, whereinat least one of the plurality of sails is a foresail; and a system forsailing windward, which includes a foresail track, which receives aleading edge of the foresail and extends from one of the two or morehulls to another of the two or more hulls.
 12. The sailboat of claim 11,wherein the foresail track extends from a starboard side to a port sideof the sailboat and assists the foresail in movement from side to side.13. The sailboat of claim 12, further comprising a control system forsecuring the location of the foresail within the foresail track systemrelative to a bow of the sailboat.
 14. The sailboat of claim 13, furthercomprising a series of lines, which control a bow end of the foresail.15. The sailboat of claim 12, wherein the foresail track mirrors amovement of the bow end of the foresail beam's movement from starboardside to port side.
 16. The sailboat of claim 11, further comprising acontrol system for securing the leading edge of the foresail within theforesail track.
 17. The sailboat of claim 16, wherein the control systemcomprises a winch, a flexible wire attached to the track fixture, and aguide system.
 18. The sailboat of claim 17, wherein the winch consistsof a spool, which is attached to a crank, and wherein the winch furtherincludes a brake or ratchet that prevents the winch from unwinding. 19.A sailboat comprising: two or more hull; a plurality of sails, andwherein the plurality of sails includes one or more foresails; and asystem for sailing windward, which includes two or more foresail tracks,each of the two or more foresail tracks is configured to receive aleading edge of a foresail, and wherein each of the foresail tracksextend from one of the two or more hulls to another of the two or morehulls.
 20. The sailboat of claim 19, further comprising: a mast; and atleast two foresail beams attached to the mast of a sailboat at a mastend of the foresail beam, and wherein each of the at least two foresailbeams are configured to receive the leading edge of the foresail at abow end of the foresail beam.